Kiwi Orion takes time off from Ex Bersama Shield to locate lost sailor

A sailor who was washed overboard from a merchant vessel 600 nautical miles northwest of Singapore had been found by a P-3K Orion anti-submarine aircraft of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. The aircraft was preparing for participation the Five Power Defence Arrangement's Exercise Bersama Shield in Malaysia when it received a mayday call from the merchant vessel reporting a man lost overboard.

Aussie Hornets, Orion in Malaysia for Five-Power exercise

Australia and the other members of the Five Power Defence Arrangement (FPDA) have commenced Exercise Bersama Shield 2012, with Royal Australia Air Force (RAAF) F/A-18 Hornets from 3 Sqn and AP-3C Orions deployed Butterworth Airbase in northern Peninsula Malaysia for the exercise. Exercise Bersama Shield 2012 involves personnel, air and naval assets from Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom and will occur between 23 April – 05 May 2012 and will take place in Malaysia, the South China Sea and Singapore.

Link: Bersama Shield 2012 images from the Australian Defence Force website

PHOTO: Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon air-to-air over Malaysia

Typhoon FGR.4 ZK314/EO of 6 Sqn RAF over Malaysia's turquoise green waters. Click on thumbnail to view high-resolution image. (BAe photo)

BAe Systems has released on their Flickr stream a series of photos of the Royal Air Force's 6 Sqn Eurofighter Typhoons taking part in the Five Power Defence Arrangement's Exercise Bersama Lima in Malaysia, including some air-to-air photographs.

Updates: RAF Typhoons at Exercise Bersama Lima

The Royal Air Force has been following 6 Sqn's activities in Malaysia for Bersama Lima. Late last month they covered the deployment of the squadron's Tranche 2 Typhoons (Typhoon FGR.4 in RAF parlance) to Butterworth, Malaysia, with the 7000-mile flight marking the Typhoon's longest ever deployment so far, as well as being the Tranche 2's inaugural overseas exercise.

And yesterday, the RAF has posted an update of the squadron's activities at Bersama Lima, and the tropical conditions they face, during the exercise. 6 Squadron has so far flown sorties alongside F/A-18, Mig-29, F-5 and F-16 aircraft from the other 4 FPDA nations, and are now preparing for the final stage of the exercise where all participating air forces will fly missions within a complex scenario.

PHOTO: Royal Australian AF 75 Sqn 70th Anniversary F/A-18A Hornet

© Comonwealth of Australia/LAC Terry Hartin. Click on thumbnail to view high-resolution image.

Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18A Hornet A21-38 takes off from Butterworth Airbase in Malaysia. This aircraft, A21-38 carries a new commemorative scheme marking 75 Squadron's 70th Anniversary in 2012.

75 Squadron have deployed to Butterworth to take part in Exercise Bersama Lima, a Five Power Defence Arrangement (FPDA) air, ground and naval exercise between the armed services of Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, the United Kingdom and Australia in various locations on the Malaysian Peninsula and in the South China Sea.. 2011 marks the 40th Anniversary of successful co-operation between the founding members of the FPDA.

75 Sqn RAAF was formed in Townsville, Australia on the 4th of March 1942 with 25 Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawks. Within nine days the squadron was deployed to New Guinea against the Japanese onslaught, claiming an enemy aircraft shot down just 12 days later. After the war, the squadron operated various types of aircraft including the De Havilland Vampire and Dassault Breguet Mirage III before transitioning to the F/A-18 Hornet and moving to its present base at Tindal in Australia's Northern Territory in 1988.

Singapore Hosts FPDA Joint Exercise

Singapore's Ministry of Defence has announced that Singapore is hosting Exercise Bersama Lima, a major Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) joint exercise involving air, maritime and land forces from Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom. The exercise, held from 17 Oct to 4 Nov 2011, will involve about 4000 personnel, 68 aircraft, 18 ships, two submarines and various support elements from the FPDA member nations.

In addition to the Field Training Exercise (FTX), this year's Bersama Lima, which marks 40 years of the FPDA, will include a shore phase held at the Command and Control Centre of Singapore's Changi Naval Base. A two-day humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) workshop involving other government departments and non-governmental organisations will be conducted in conjunction with the exercise.

Meanwhile the Australian Defence Department has already put up photos of an air-to-air Photo Op between a Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18A Hornet of the RAAF's 75 Sqn together with a MiG-29 Fulcrum and F/A-18D Hornet of the Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia (Royal Malaysian Air Force) with (I'm sure) more to follow as the exercise progresses.

RAF Typhoons Malaysia-bound for Five Power exercise and airshow

RAF Leuchars-based 6 Sqn Typhoon. Photo by Bob Franklin via Key Aero

According to Scottish newspaper The Courier, the Royal Air Force (RAF) will be sending its Eurofighter Typhoons to Malaysia to participate in Exercise Bersama Lima, scheduled to be held in and around Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore from 21st October to 2nd November 2011. The aircraft and crew will come from the RAF's 6 Sqn, normally based at RAF Leuchars on Scotland's east coast.

Bersama Lima is an air and naval exercise held under the auspices of the Five Power Defence Arrangement (FPDA). 2011's exercise will mark the FPDA's 40th Anniversary of the pact between the armed forces of the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Singapore.

In addition, the Typhoons will showcase its capabilities to Malaysia during the exercise and the subsequent Langkawi International Maritime & Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA), to be held from the 6th to the 10th of December at the Malaysian resort island of Langkawi. According to Jane's Defence Weekly's Malaysia correspondent Dzirhan Mahadzir, two Typhoons will stay on after the exercise and will be on display at LIMA.

Malaysia had earlier confirmed that the Typhoon is being considered by the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) as its next fighter, alongside Sukhoi’s Su-35, Boeing’s F/A-18E Super Hornet and Saab’s JAS-39 Gripen. The winner of the competition will replace the RMAF's fleet of MiG-29 Fulcrums, due to be retired in 2015.

Additional Resources:
Bersama Lima AIP Supplement issued by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore [pdf document]

PHOTO: Royal Malaysian Air Force Nuri at Bersama Padu

(Click on thumbnail for high res image)
20101014adf8569263_102 A Malaysian Air Force Sea King Helicopter about to take off from Tioman Island. Forces from Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia and the United Kingdom have joined together under the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) to participate in Exercise Bersama Padu (BP10). (Australian Defence Force Photo)

Major military exercise kicks off in Malaysia

The Australian Department of Defence has announced that Exercise Bersama Padu has begun involving the armed forces of Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom. The RAAF has deployed eight F/A-18s from No 3 Squadron RAAF Williamtown NSW for the exercise, which means 'Together United' in Malay.

Related: Australian Defence Force Ex Bersama Padu Image gallery

Welcome!

Welcome to The Base Leg Blog. This will serve as the News Section of Base Leg Aviation News and Photography. To kick things off, heres an excellent air-to-air study of Republic of Singapore Air Force F-16D 625 (s/n 94-0277) of 140 (Osprey) Sqn, taken from a Royal Australian AF P-3 Orion during Ex Bersama Shield, May 2010.

Photo courtesy of the RAAF. (click on the thumbnail to access a high res version)